“Our public schools are my number one priority and they have to be our legislature’s number one priority. My Hispanic mother only completed eight years of her education. She taught me the value of hard work, which helped me to become the first college graduate in my family and propel me through graduate school after retiring from the U.S. Navy,” Whelpley said. “We need strong public schools for our children’s future and to promote a robust middle class.”

Democrat Whelpley, a 47-year-old former Naval aviator and 20-year military veteran, is seeking the House seat vacated by retiring Rep. Mary Helen Roberts. He has two children in the Washington state public school system, 14-year-old daughter Brooke and 12-year-old son Calvin. Whelpley earned his Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from California State University, Chico. He currently manages projects related to the EA-18G Super Hornet simulators used to train Naval aviators.

Whelpley has the endorsement of both the Everett Herald and the Seattle Times, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn, former Senator Paull Shin, the Washington Federation of State Employees, the Pacific Northwest College of Carpenters, Senate and House Transportation Committee chairs Tracey Eide and Judy Clibborn, Senators Steve Hobbs and Brian Hatfield and Representative Cindy Ryu. Over the course of the campaign, Whelpley has knocked on over 14,000 doors in the 21st District.

Whelpley is running for position 1 in the 21st District, which covers all of Mukilteo, most of Edmonds and parts of Lynnwood and Everett.

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